Random mass shootings have long accompanied the proliferation of firearms around the world. In 2012, Americans witnessed a rash of random fatal shootings at schools, theaters, and workplaces alike. There were sixteen (16) random mass shootings last year alone in the United States that tragically and needlessly claimed the lives of 88 people. None more upsetting and heart wrenching than the 26 lives lost, which included 20 children, at the hands of a random shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14, 2012. The safety of the occupants of public and private facilities is paramount and innovation is needed to secure said facilities at every level.
In many of the aforementioned buildings, double panic doors are commonly used to quickly accommodate the ingress and egress of the general public in high volumes. The double panic doors are configured to open by applying force to panic bars or strike bars, which are generally disposed midway on the inside between the top and bottom of the respective doors, thus causing the strike bars to urge inwardly and release the locking means for the door-latch system. These double panic doors can also be locked and unlocked from the outside using a variety of systems including, but not limited to, biometric readers, conventional keys, and card readers. FIG. 5 shows a conventional key lock and door handle arrangement on the outside surface of the double panic door configuration.
Double panic doors can be a liability in certain situations as intruders have learned how to circumvent or overwhelm these door configurations. Schools and other public/private institutions have seen an increase of criminal acts that could be abated or mitigated. There exists a need to improve the security of double panic doors to control entry and operation of the doors while affording police and authorities more time to respond to emergency situations where every second could be the difference between life and death.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as described. The accompanying images, which are incorporated in and constitute part of the specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.